Dimension 5000 - Flickering Amber Power Light

I have a Dimension 5000, purchased in 2005. I can no longer power it up, and the power light on the front of the unit just flickers amber. I have some very basic questions ...

Does this mean that my power supply has gone kaput? Or are there other possible explanations that I should somehow check for first?

If it is the power supply, how do I determine what kind of unit I need to replace it, and where can I acquire such a power supply?

And is replacing the power supply a straight-forward process - i.e. just opening the box, unplugging and removing the old, replacing and replugging the new? I've come to expect activities like this never to be quite as simple as they might at first sight appear.

In most cases, but not all, a flashing amber power light indicates a power supply failure. Fortunately the 5000 uses a standard ATX style power supply, you don't have to have a special Dell power supply. I would recommend getting one that is rated at least 350 watts.

Your 5000 is similar to my E510 (US version of the 5150). The ATX power supply connector requirements (and almost all have this) is a 24 pin or 20 plus 4 pin connector for the motherboard, a 4 pin Molex for the motherboard, SATA power connectors for the hard drives and PATA (IDE) Molex connectors for the CD/DVD drives. If you have any other optional devices such as a floppy drive or memory card reader you will need power for those devices. THIS is an EXAMPLE of a power supply that will meet the requrirements.

HERE is the Dell manual and the instructions on replacing the power supply. It is relatively straightforward.